possible solutions!

[aaronthink]

Hello!

My name is Aaron, I'm here in this forum since 3 moths more or less. i joined because I started to have problems with my pixma ip4500. It became cloggled, so I learnt lot of procedures to solve it. Finaly, after fighting two months with it, I couldn't fix it completely, and I bought a secondhand printhead in ebay. the new print head had a manufacturing fault (I was advised) that it was imposible to print with the black pigment carbridge. Anyway, It wasn't a problem for me because I use this printer for photography only, and all the other cabridges work perfectly. So, I had solved my problem, until the last week , when my print head death (electricaly, I think) because now if you print a nozzle pattern It doesnt print nothing, and now it gives a message that don't recognize the printhead.

I have bought a second hand printer, pixma ip3300, which works with 3 CLI-8 carbridges, and performs perfectly. But the thing is I feel that, for using a printer for phtography, the printer ip4500 prints better the blacks (photography) and I can't get this level of blackness with the ip3300. I think the reason could be because one has 5 inks and the other 4 only. I mean the lack of photographic black.

I have three options:

-to buy a new print head for the pixma ip4500
-to buy a new printer (ip4700) an throw away the ip4500
-don't do nothing and resign myself with the less quality of blackness that offers me the ip3300

The think is that i have bulk ink bottles to refill the CLI-8 carbridges, and I would like to use them.

What do you think?

many thanks!

 

[ghwellsjr]

You have analyzed and stated your problem very well.

Since you already have CLI-8 cartridges and ink for them, I would not go with a new printer that uses the CLI-221 cartridges. In fact, I would avoid those newer printers anyway.

I also would not settle for the inferior photo print quality of the iP3300. That printer and others like it that don't have a black dye ink cartridge are ideal for people who only print on plain paper but they are not good for photo paper, as you have discovered.

That leaves you with only one of your three options, which is to get another print head for your iP4500. Here is a picture of the box that print head comes in:

As you can see, that print head will work in several other printers. If you are not in a hurry, I would check on craigslist or wherever you found your other second hand printer for one of these printers. You need to check at least once a day for a good buy on craigslist. I recently bought a perfectly good MX850 on craigslist for less than the cost of a new print head but I was the first one to contact the seller and he told me that he had gotten several other contacts about it so you have to be diligent.

Then I would recommend that you get another working printer that uses the same print head so that the next time you have a problem, which may be when these printers are hard to come by, you won't be stuck with the same decision you have now. It will allow you more time to prepare for the next time you face the same problem.

 

[aaronthink]

Hello ghwellsjr!

Thanks for your answer. I have finaly decided what Im going to do. I'm going to fix my ip4500 with a new printhead (I will buy it on ebay). But I want to change one thing, Im going to convert my ip4500 in a dedicated B&W printer, with the kit that Mikling sales in precisioncolors.com.
Did you tried that solution? I really like B&W and I think it would be a good solution. And for the moment I am going to use my ip3300 for colour photography only.

Only one more question : Why have you told that you prefer the IP4500 to the IP4700? Do you think the Ip4700 is not a good printer? what is the matter?

thanks!

 

[ghwellsjr]

After Canon switched from CLI-8 to the CLI-221 (and CLI-521 in other countries), they significantly degraded the quality of their printers. You can see part of the discussion here. The printers still print fine, it's just that they are much more expensive to operate. I believe the cartridges are opaque, making them difficult to refill.

 

[RMM]

The cli-221 sponge chamber is opaque, but the ink reservoir is still transparent. The newer cli-226 series are completely opaque and as of now there are no chip resetters available. Best to avoid these.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Thanks for the clarification. I thought the CLI-226 was just for another country. Aren't these newer cartridges even smaller?

 

[iP4XXX]

I read a review at Freedomtoprint.com that says the new PGI-225/CLI-226 contain the same amount of ink as the PGI-220/CLI-221.
Pigment black - 19 ml and dye colors - 9ml.

http://freedomtoprint.com/2010/07/2...-ink-cartridges-cli-226-colors-pgi-225-black/

 

[msmart]

@aaron, take a look on craigslist. You might find one in your area for cheap, possibly even brand new. There's one or two listed in my area almost all the time (4 active listings right now).